The army armed with 1,000 Israeli-made rifles

Thousands of IWI rifles are on their way to Argentina

The Argentine army is upgrading, similar to the trend all over the world, and its next step, according to a report on the ZM website, is to receive close to 1,000 rifles from the Israeli IWI company within a few weeks. The Arad series rifles are designed to serve the Argentine army, the local navy and the air force. The upgrade is essential for Buenos Aires, because the local army still uses FAL rifles which, in the case of the IDF, for example, were only used in the first years of the establishment of the state.

The company active in Latin America and Southeast Asia is in demand in the international arena thanks to the Arad series rifles: Arad 7 (caliber 7.62 mm) and Arad 5 (caliber 5.56 mm). According to the report, the current deal matured from initial contacts between SK officials and Argentine military officials in 2024. After that, between February and March 2025, an Argentinian delegation arrived to physically examine the rifles in Israel – and now the process of acceptance and assimilation is already being led by the Argentinian General Staff for all arms.

IWI is a private security company and part of Sami Katsav’s SK group. IWI was purchased by Katsav as part of the privatization of the Magen plant of Israel Industries in February 2005, while today, two decades later, it is considered a very profitable company in the SK group.

Sweden’s big deal with Rafael’s subsidiary

Sweden signed a framework agreement in the amount of 4 billion kroner (about 412 million dollars) with Rafael’s German subsidiary, Dynamite Noble (DND), for the Mikush Scorpion 2 system. The duration of the agreement is until 2033, of which about 93 million dollars have already been paid. As part of the program, Dynamite Noble will provide both the training and the equipment for them. Sweden is the third EU and NATO country to acquire this system, after Latvia in October and Denmark in December.

Scorpion 2 was launched by Dynamite Noble in 2024, when it was designed for convenient installation on wheeled, crawler and unmanned platforms. The system is capable of deploying up to 400 mines over an area of ​​2,000 meters, in less than ten minutes. The technological uniqueness of DND is also in the advanced mines it provides, including the AT2+ model. It is a mine with digital control, an advanced rumble for precise operation, and the ability to plan the layout of the mines at the target.

Dynamite Noble recently made headlines, amid speculation about its expected involvement in Rafael’s plans to purchase a Volkswagen plant. Beyond that, the advantage is that it allows Rafael to do European transactions for all intents and purposes, without painting them as Israeli. Thus, for example, in 2023 the company supplied Ukraine with 80 Hydron-type drones. The German drone is used to gather intelligence, and is launched manually in favor of operations in complex arenas.

The Turkish threat is expanding beyond the Earth

Turkey has begun work on the establishment of a space port in Somalia, a project that may yield economic benefits, but also significant independence in the ability to launch means into space – including satellites capable of photographing any place on Earth, including Israel. The Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kajir said that in Ankara they have already finished the design and planning phase, and now they have moved to the first phase of construction.

Ankara stated that the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), and “other national institutions” are involved in the project, which indicates the security uses. In the economic aspect, there is no doubt that Elon Musk and Space X significantly boosted the commercial demand for launches into space. The American company carries out close to 200 launches every year, and is based on two spaceports in the USA: the well-known Cape Canaveral in Florida, and the Vandenberg base in California.

According to estimates, the global space market is growing at a tremendous pace. In 2024 it was estimated to be worth about 600 billion dollars, and in the middle of the next decade it is expected to reach about 1.8 trillion dollars. In Israel, the leader in the space field is Israel Aerospace Industries, one of the world’s most experienced companies in the field, whose first launch was already in 1988. Its flagship project in recent years is the communication satellite “Dror 1” which was launched last year. The satellite provides a response to the country’s communication needs, and operates at an altitude of approximately 36,000 km